_forumlogo.png.a607ef20a6e0c299ab2aa6443aa1f32e.png)
garthsj
-
Posts
860 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Donations
0.00 USD
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Blogs
Posts posted by garthsj
-
-
Always saw this as the Burst Lancaster character caught in a brother-sister sexual thing, too...
Watched the film when it was released and had a fixation on Susan Harrison for a time!
Interesting Brownie, how although we are from vastly different parts of the world, I too had (have) a serious "thing" for Susan Harrison. When this movie was released in Cape Town in 1957, after a great deal of anticipatory publicity in Metronome and Downbeat regarding the Chico Hamilton Quintet contribution, I saw it three times that first week. I now teach this movie every year as a personal indulgence in my "Social Aspects Of Film" class, and I always confess to the class about my fixation on her. (Most of the males in the class just don't get it ... the females recognize her vulnerability, though). It is a real mystery what happened to her ... she just disappeared from the Hollywood scene after doing some television roles. She probably married an insurance salesman, and moved to the Valley, where she is now a grandmother and the general secretary of the local John Birch Society.
This is a very rich film for social and cultural analysis of the period ... from prevailing sexual mores to the blacklist and communism (remember J.J. asks the Marty Milner character if he is a "red'?) ... and we must not forget that director Barry Levinson (who is our age) offers a wonderful homage to the film in his great film DINER ... where one character repeats large sections of dialog from TSSOS.
The fiilm captures a lost world of American fifties culture (perhaps peculiar to Boadway/New York), and requires a great deal of background explanation for today's students. Also, it is very interesting that it was made by a Scotsman, Alexander McKendrick ... perhaps it required someone from outside of the culture to capture it so precisely, much like John Schlesinger did later with MIDNIGHT COWBOY.
-
This should interest Wynton's fans and detractors ... It reminds me in a way of the highly controversial combination of Stan Kenton and Tex Ritter in that famed Capitol recording ...
The New York Times
January 15, 2007
Music Review | Willie Nelson
Just a Couple of Guys Dressed in the Blues
By NATE CHINEN
Willie Nelson was halfway through a flinty and casually gripping guitar solo on “Rainy Day Blues” when everything clicked into place. It was his fifth song at the Allen Room on Friday night, and the bright young rhythm section onstage was finally locking in. At Mr. Nelson’s right elbow Wynton Marsalis shot the saxophonist Walter Blanding Jr. a knowing glance, one eyebrow appreciatively raised. After a somewhat tentative start, the concert hit its groove.
Mr. Nelson was performing with Mr. Marsalis’s quintet in the first of four sold-out shows organized by Jazz at Lincoln Center, under the heading “Willie Nelson Sings the Blues.” (It was a sequel to a brief encounter several years ago when he played on a gala for the organization.) Because the blues are as much of a bedrock for Mr. Nelson as they are for Mr. Marsalis, this held the simple promise of a meeting on common ground. All Mr. Nelson brought with him was an acoustic guitar and a trusted wingman, the harmonica player Mickey Raphael.
He also brought his intractable style, which posed more of a challenge to the other musicians than any clash of genre. His conversational way with rhythm, in particular, momentarily threw the band. During a series of stop-time breaks on “Basin Street Blues,” the second tune, Mr. Nelson’s phrasing was almost perversely free of tempo, rustling like a breeze. In much the same way, he seemed to regard the jump-blues thrust of “Caldonia” as merely a recommendation, something to heed at will.
And that, as his fans might say, is typical Willie. Though he has had one of the broadest careers in American music, Mr. Nelson is no chameleon. His colors are the same in any setting; and the calm, comforting tone of his voice rarely warps or strains to fit a fashion. “Rainy Day Blues” happens to be the first track on his current album, “Songbird” (Lost Highway), which features anthems by the likes of Leonard Cohen and Fleetwood Mac. Though not on his usual turf, Mr. Nelson sounds entirely unfazed, and unchanged.
Because that was true on Friday too, the onus of adapting rested on the pianist Dan Nimmer, the bassist Carlos Henriquez and the drummer Ali Jackson. They handled it professionally, attuning themselves to Mr. Nelson’s drifting cadences with an increasing understanding and command.
There was no such learning curve for Mr. Marsalis, who played his trumpet with terse, unforced authority right out of the gate. He tinkered a fair amount with timbre throughout the concert, using an array of different mutes and techniques. He was pushing toward a vocal quality, singing through his horn.
Mr. Marsalis also sang with his voice, on a version of “Ain’t Nobody’s Business” that quickly turned into a buddy duet. “I hear you,” Mr. Nelson said sympathetically during a roguish verse by Mr. Marsalis. It was a moment evocative of the banter between Jack Teagarden and Louis Armstrong. And it set a playful tone for what followed, including renditions of “My Bucket’s Got a Hole In It” and “Down by the Riverside.”
But the concert’s most transcendent moments conveyed more of a quiet ache. They were “Stardust” and “Georgia on My Mind,” a pair of Hoagy Carmichael standards that Mr. Nelson long ago personalized. He sang them both with a forthright intimacy, as if telling a cherished bedtime story. And the band was right there with him, emphasizing how the blues are as much a feeling as a form.
-
I never really new much about Rogers and his music other than his arrangements on a couple Herb Alpert records. I saw him on Jazz Shots from the West Coast, and I loved him. I would like some biographical info and music recommendations. All help appreciated.
Growing up in the Fifites as a dedicated fan of what was called "West Coast Jazz," Shorty Rogers was a big name, and a musical hero for me. He still considered as one of the real founders of the west coast school.
For a quick primer on him, and a decent discography, click here:
-
For me as a teenager, that great Savoy album, OPUS DE JAZZ, with Frank Wess, Milt Jackson, Hank Jones, Eddie Jones, and Kenny Clarke (October 28, 1955) was a defining moment in my jazz education. It still is ... I have been through about five different formats of this session over the years, and it still ranks in my top ten. Since then I have tried to accumulate almost everything that Frank has done ... he never fails to please. His playing on the Bill Charlap Gershwin album is a wonder to listen to.
Frank's recent album with Hank Jones, HANK AND FRANK, (their combined age is over 170!) on the Lineage label is highly recommended. Click here: http://tinyurl.com/y4gvt3
-
Thanks guys, i'll be out to rob some gas station and in no time i'll be buying their stuff.
This is where I got my copy about two months ago .. best price, and it arrived in 5 days!
I have the entire series from 1945 onwards ... great stuff. There have been several other boxed sets of Swedish Jazz which have been discused on this list, and these are well worth finding.
-
Again, apologies if this has been posted before ...
Here is Art Farmer, Lee Konitz, and the underrated Ake Persson with the Oliver Nelson group in Europe, 1966:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NWZY8Z9CO8...%20swing%20jazz
-
Here is something that might interest all of the Mingus fans out there ...
http://www.mic.stim.se/cda/CDs.nsf/wwwcds/...D7?opendocument
-
For the Art Pepper fans out there, this will be welcomed news, and the price is good! (I am not in any way associated with this release ... just passing it on). Click here ....
-
Maybe it is just me, and my formative years in apartheid South Africa, but I never fail to feel a chill of emotion when I hear the current South African national anthem "Nkosi sikelel'i Africa" (NOT "Die Stem" ... the old Afrikaaner anthem) ... especially when it is sung with African voices and those incredible natural harmonies ...
"God Save 'The Monarch'" was what we sung when I was in school .... but that age of imperialism has passed.
My wife has been urging me to find a recording of an African choir singing that (a capella) for years. Do you know of any? Or even a football crowd...
MG
There are several good versions, including one before a rugby test match, to be found on U-Tube. This IMHO is the best .. featuring Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ow40LQs0ue4
Thanks - was that Paul Simon on stage with them?
MG
Yes ... that was taken at a special concert on behalf of the ANC after the release of the Graceland album.
-
Maybe it is just me, and my formative years in apartheid South Africa, but I never fail to feel a chill of emotion when I hear the current South African national anthem "Nkosi sikelel'i Africa" (NOT "Die Stem" ... the old Afrikaaner anthem) ... especially when it is sung with African voices and those incredible natural harmonies ...
"God Save 'The Monarch'" was what we sung when I was in school .... but that age of imperialism has passed.
My wife has been urging me to find a recording of an African choir singing that (a capella) for years. Do you know of any? Or even a football crowd...
MG
There are several good versions, including one before a rugby test match, to be found on U-Tube. This IMHO is the best .. featuring Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba ...
-
Maybe it is just me, and my formative years in apartheid South Africa, but I never fail to feel a chill of emotion when I hear the current South African national anthem "Nkosi sikelel'i Africa" (NOT "Die Stem" ... the old Afrikaaner anthem) ... especially when it is sung with African voices and those incredible natural harmonies ...
"God Save 'The Monarch'" was what we sung when I was in school .... but that age of imperialism has passed.
-
This is indeed a sad day for me personally. There are so many strong memories that I associate with her music. I am so tired (and scared) of writing in my journal that the "heroes" of my youth are no longer around. So far this morning I have worked my way through the first three CDs of the Mosiac box, and each tune evokes a memory ... I remember almost playing into vinyl dust her famous LP "Anita" with her opening tune "Honeysuckle Rose" with the great Joe Mondragon bass intro ... at least we have the music to listen to ...
-
Here is some great TOMMY FLANAGAN AND GEORGE MRAZ playing "RAINCHECK" .. enjoy ..
-
I guess that being REAL OLD has some compensations .... I started to collect jazz albums when I was 11 in 1951 and growing up in South Africa. These were Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw 78's (remember those?). I started playing the clarinet at the same time, and added the alto when I was 13 ... by this time I was deeply into BOP .. and those early Parker albums on Savoy and Verve (I was only able to acquire the Dials much later when I moved to England), and especially "Massey Hall" were required listening for my little coterie of teenage jazz devotees. My first LP machine was a portable plastic Swedish machine, with a tone arm that must have weighed 5 lbs! So, for me the issue of sonic quality was not a factor. When I did acquire my first real "Hi-Fi" in 1957 (a converted Garrard player with a great manual Acos tone arm, and small JBL speakers) I was suddenly in a whole new world of sound. (My parents continued to use this setup until their deaths in the late eighties!).
Also, my personal circumstances make it possible for me to indulge my jazz habit so that I can acquire basically what pleases me (within reason, of course). I could not imagine having a collection of jazz without a substantial representation of Charlie Parker's music. A rough count in my own collection, shows about 45 Parker CDs, including several boxed sets. But, of course, musical tastes do differ ... for instance, I only own one Cecil Taylor album, a very early one on Contemporary.
Interestingly I have found that when I have tried to "educate" friends about jazz, that the issue of sound quality is a significant factor. The major complaint is that "the music sounds so old ..." and lacks the dynamic sound quality of modern, mostly rock-oriented recordings ... This seems to be particularly true with vocal records ... Ah Well! Their loss ....
-
Generally speaking, I prefer listening to jazz on LP and in mono.
That said, some of the best and most natural sounding jazz stereo recordings I've heard are some of the early ones on Atlantic. Everybody's in the same room (of course), and it doesn't sound like any attempt is made to prevent bleeding from one channel to the other. The end result is a very natural, ambient stereo room sound that enhances the groove rather than distracting from it. You really feel like you're right in the room with these guys. These sessions must have been recorded on 2 track or at the most three.
A couple of examples off the top of my head include some of the early Mose Allison Atlantic albums and "Soul Meeting" by Ray Charles and Milt Jackson.
Thoughts?
First, many of these early Atlanic stereo recordings were entirely different takes .. for instance the stereo version of the MJQ's FONTESSA "B" side. Not too many so-called discographical experts seem to acknowledge these different takes ...
Second, not all of these stereo recordings were sonicially as sound as you seem to feel ... I tried for years to get a stereo copy of one of my favorite early Atlantics, Milt Jackson's PLENTY, PLENTY SOUL... and when I finally did I was very disappointed to discover that some of the musicians actually sound as if they are in a different room entirely ... listen, for instance, to Cannonball Adderley's solos (he is named as "Ronnie Peters" on the album) ... The CD release was thankfully the original mono version.. This album deserves to be remastered, but I guess that the original tapes succumbed in the infamous Atlantic fire.
-
Times have changed since this thread was started. Word is that HHB was bought by Sennheiser and the quality has plummeted.
I would stick with Denon or Tascam if I were to buy a CD burner right now. Tascam is a "professional" unit, meaning it doesn't have SCMS and can use PC blanks. That pushes it to the front of the pack. However, it is expensive.
Kevin
Kevin, the Denon has a feature to defeat SCMS with a push of a button.
The Denon cost me about $750.
This item is selling for $599.00 on Amazon and several other sources. Would anyone care to comment on the quality of just the CD play function. If I needed a new, up-to-date CD player (my Harmon Kardon in more than 15 years old!), what type of CD player could I get for $600?
-
I have all of Mort Weiss's albums, being the jazz clarinet fanatic that I am. I think that he is very good, but quite rough, as one would expect, and certainly does not have the same control that someone like Eddie Daniels has, for example. But .. THAT may be why he is interesting to listen to, much as Pee Wee Russell was interesting to listen to. One is never quite sure what is going to happen with that damnably difficult instrument.
One complaint however, if Mort Weiss can put out five albums in about 18 months, how come we have had no Buddy DeFranco albums for several years? And Buddy continues to be the world's best jazz clarinetist, bar none! With all the fans that Buddy continues to have, I am surprised that he has not gone the route of putting out his own music, where he could go back to producing the kind of jazz he plays so magnificantly in his public appearances --- sublime bop clainet.
Garth:
Buddy apparently has a recording session set up for next month in New York:
http://www.buddydefranco.com/itinerary.html
Thanks very much for pointing his out to me .. I have not visited Buddy's site for some time now .... This promises to be a great session .. BUT .. I would still like to hear him in a quartet setting with a crackerjack rhythm section.
-
I know that there is some ambivalence about Proper Boxes, but this a good one ....
Hittin' On All Six
A History of the Jazz Guitar
Disc One Tracks Disc Two Tracks Disc Three Tracks Disc Four Tracks
Disc One -
1. STEPPIN’ ON THE BLUES Lonnie Johnson (Johnson) ® 1927
2. WILD CAT Eddie Lang (Venuti, Lang) ® 1927
3. FOR NO REASON AT ALL IN C Eddie Lang (Trumbauer, Beiderbecke) ® 1927
4. DOIN’ THINGS Eddie Lang (Lang) ® 1927
5. SAVOY BLUES Lonnie Johnson (Ory) ® 1927
6. THE MOOCHE Lonnie Johnson (Ellington,Mills) ® 1928
7. HAVE TO CHANGE KEYS (TO PLAY THESE BLUES) Eddie Lang (Johnson, Lang) ® 1928
8. GUITAR BLUES Eddie Lang (Johnson,Lang) ® 1929
9. I’VE GOT THE WORLD ON A STRING TeddyBunn (Arlen,Koehler) ® 1933
10. I’LL BE READY WHEN THE GREAT DAY COMES Teddy Bunn (Bradford) ® 1933s
11. SUMMERTIME TeddyBunn (Gershwin) ® 1939
12. BLUES WITHOUT WORDS TeddyBunn (Bunn) ® 1940
13. LONESOME MOMENTS John Trueheart (Sampson) ® 1934
14. SOMEBODY LOVES ME George Van Eps (Gershwin,McDonald, De Sylva) ® 1934
15. AT SUNDOWN George Van Eps (Donaldson) ® 1946
16. DICK BERNSTEIN RAMBLE Dick McDonough (McDonough) ® 1934
17. HEAT WAVE Carl Kress/Dick McDonough (Berlin) ® 1937
18. SWINGIN’ AT THAT FAMOUS DOOR Carmen Mastren (Leather Lips) ® 1935
19. IF I COULD BE WITH YOU Carmen Mastren (Johnson) ® 1940
20. NAGASAKI Django Reinhardt (Dixon, Warren) ® 1936
21. YOU’RE DRIVING ME CRAZY Django Reinhardt (Donaldson) ® 1937
22. FINESSE (NIGHT WIND) Django Reinhardt (Taylor) ® 1939
23. NUAGES Django Reinhardt (Reinhardt) ® 1943
24. MANOIR DE MES REVES Django Reinhardt (Reinhardt) ® 1943
25. FOR SENTIMENTAL REASONS Django Reinhardt (Be
Top
Disc Two -
1. HITTIN’ THE BOTTLE Eddie Durham (Koehler, Arlen) ® 1935
2. I WANT A LITTLE GIRL Eddie Durham (Mill, Mencher) ® 1940
3. ALABAMY HOME Bernard Addison (Ringle, Ellington) ® 1937
4. BLUES IN DISGUISE Bernard Addison (Mezzrow, Sampson) ® 1937
5. TOPSY Freddie Green (Battle, Durham) ® 1937
6. THEM THERE EYES Freddie Green (Pinkard, Tracey, Tauber) ® 1938
7. GIN, GIN Le Trio Ferret (Reinhardt) ® 1939
8. FLOYD’S GUITAR BLUES Floyd Smith (Smith) ® 1939
9. JEEPER’S CREEPERS Oscar Aleman (Mercer, Warren) ® 1939
10. I GOT RHYTHM Oscar Aleman (Gershwin) ® 1942
11. BUCK JUMPIN’ Al Casey (Casey, Kirkeby) ® 1941
12. ESQUIRE BOUNCE Al Casey (Feather) ® 1943
13. THAT’S ALL Sister Rosetta Tharpe (Tharpe) ® 1941
14. SWING 42 Jean "Matlo" Ferret (Reinhardt) ® 1943
15. TILL TOM SPECIAL Charlie Christian (Hampton, Goodman) ® 1940
16. WHOLLY CATS Charlie Christian (Goodman) ® 1940
17. PROFOUNDLY BLUE Charlie Christian (Lewis) ® 1941
18. SOLO FLIGHT Charlie Christian (Goodman, Mundy) ® 1941
19. WAITING FOR BENNY Charlie Christian (Goodman) ® 1941
20. SWING TO BOP Charlie Christian (Unknown) ® 1941
21. ROCKIN’ WITH THE ROCKETS Efferge Ware (Smith, Leonard) ® 1940
22. BLUE JUICE Bus Etri (Bennett) ® 1941
Top
Disc Three -
1. REFLECTIONS Bus Etri (Bennett) ® 1941
2. GEE BABY, AIN’T I GOOD TO YOU Oscar Moore (Redman, Razaf) ® 1943
3. BODY AND SOUL Oscar Moore (Green, Heyman, Sour, Eyton) ® 1946
4. LAMENT IN CHORDS Oscar Moore (Moore) ® 1947
5. ALTITUDE Irving Ashby (Hampton, Ashby) ® 1941
6. THE SPINX Irving Ashby (Tizol) ® 1946
7. TOP HAT BOP Irving Ashby (Ashby) ® 1949
8. NOBODY IN MIND Leonard Ware (Price) ® 1941
9. BODY AND SOUL Tiny Grimes (Green,Heyman, Sour, Eyton) ® 1944
10. BLUE HARLEM Tiny Grimes (Quebec) ® 1944
11. HOT IN HARLEM Tiny Grimes (Prysock, Grimes) ® 1948
12. BUGLE CALL RAG Les Paul (Pettis, Meyers, Schoebel) ® 1944
13. MOTEN SWING Les Paul (Moten) ® 1945
14. WILLIE WEEP FOR ME Les Paul (Lim) ® 1945
15. TEMPO’S BOOGIE Billy Mackel (Hampton) ® 1944
16. IMPROMPTU ENSEMBLE NO.1 Eddie Condon (Condon) ® 1944
17. CAJUN LOVE SONG Nappy Lamare (Wrightsman,Miller, Veret) ® 1945
18. BLOOD ON THE MOON DannyBarker (Page) ® 1945
19. BLUES A LA RED Remo Palmieri (Collins) ® 1944
20. STOMPIN’ AT THE SAVOY Remo Palmieri (Goodman, Webb, Sampson) ® 1941
21. STARDUST Jimmy Shirley (Carmichael,parish) ® 1945
22. WHAT IS THERE TO SAY Allan Reuss (Duke, Harburg) ® 1945
23. THE MOON IS LOW Allan Reuss (Brown, Freed) ® 1946
Top
Disc Four -
1. I SAW STARS Dave Barbour (Goodhart, Foffman) ® 1946
2. CHINA BOY Dave Barbour (Winfree,Boutelje) ® 1946
3. BLUE LOU George Barnes (Sampson, Mills) ® 1946
4. LOVER COME BACK TO ME George Barnes (Romberg, Hammerstein) ® 1946
5. THE GRABTOWN GRAPPLE Barney Kessel (Shaw, Harding) ® 1945
6. RELAXIN’ AT CAMARILLO Barney Kessel (Parker) ® 1947
7. TIGHT AND GAY Arvin Garrison (Porter, Watson) ® 1946
8. NIGHT IN TUNISIA Arvin Garrison (Gillespie, Paparelli) ® 1946
9. MINUET IN VOUT Slim Gaillard (Gaillard) ® 1946
10. DOCTOR KEETS Bill De Arango (Webster) ® 1946
11. SPOTLITE Mary Osborne (Hawkins) ® 1946
12. ALLEN’S ALLEY Mary Osborne (Best) ® 1946
13. BLUE SERGE Churck Wayne (Burns) ® 1946
14. CONCEPTION Chuck Wayne (Shearing) ® 1949
15. DONNA LEE Barry Galbraith (Parker) ® 1947
16. LAMENT (LAMENT FOR GUITAR) Laurindo Almeida (Rugolo) ® 1947
17. SHIRLEY STEPS OUT Al Hendrickson (Powell) ® 1947
18. ALL THE THINGS YOU ARE Herb Ellis (Hammerstein) ® 1947
19. SWEDISH PASTRY Herb Ellis (Kessel) ® 1947
20. SUBCONCIOUS-LEE Billy Bauer (Konitz) ® 1949
21. WOW BillyBauer (Tristano) ® 1949
22. JOHN’S DELIGHT John Collins (Dameron) ® 1949
23. IN A PINCH Jimmy Raney (Haig) ® 1949
24. EXTROVERT Jimmy Raney (Leonard) ® 1949
Compiled and produced for release by Joop Visser
Digital remastering by Peter Rynston at Tall Order Studios
This compilation ® 2000- Proper Records Ltd.
© 2000- Proper Records Ltd.
Top
-
i came across this impressive website dedicated to tony scott that includes a discography/record gallery, extensive biography, galleries of photos and pictures of scott's own artwork, etc. check it out: the musical universe of tony scott
At the risk of being immodest, on that Tony Scott site (under the 50s section, part II) you will find two quotes from an article about Tony's historic visit to South Africa that I wrote for Metronome Magazine in 1957 ... I was 17 at the time. Tony was taken with my "boyish enthusiam" as I followed him around the country on his tour, and we have kept up an occasional correspondence since then ..
-
This morning I happened to notice a review in the Houston Chronicle of these two books for children that have jazz as their subject. I am tempted to buy them as a gift for potential future grandkids ... This can't but help be a sign of something good for the future of the music.
Here is the second book:
-
This morning I happened to notice a review in the Houston Chronicle of these two books for children that have jazz as their subject. I am tempted to buy them as a gift for potential future grandkids ... This can't but help be a sign of something good for the future of the music.
-
I have all of Mort Weiss's albums, being the jazz clarinet fanatic that I am. I think that he is very good, but quite rough, as one would expect, and certainly does not have the same control that someone like Eddie Daniels has, for example. But .. THAT may be why he is interesting to listen to, much as Pee Wee Russell was interesting to listen to. One is never quite sure what is going to happen with that damnably difficult instrument.
One complaint however, if Mort Weiss can put out five albums in about 18 months, how come we have had no Buddy DeFranco albums for several years? And Buddy continues to be the world's best jazz clarinetist, bar none! With all the fans that Buddy continues to have, I am surprised that he has not gone the route of putting out his own music, where he could go back to producing the kind of jazz he plays so magnificantly in his public appearances --- sublime bop clainet.
-
I'd like to see the Green and the Lou Mecca out together on one disc, misfits in a way on a single disc, but both are EXCELLENT sessions. Best of the West would make a nice RVG. I don't know or remember for certain if the Jutta Hipp was a leased item, I think it was. Interesting date.
-
Forgive me if this has already been posted .. I did do a search without success:
Universal set for music world domination
Staff and agencies
Wednesday September 6, 2006
Guardian Unlimited
Vivendi's Universal Music Group today agreed to buy BMG Music Publishing for €1.63bn (£1.1bn).
If approved by the EU competition authorities, the deal would make Universal, already the world's largest record company, the industry's biggest music publisher as well, ahead of EMI and Warner Music.
BMG Music Publishing owns the rights to more than 1m songs by recording artists such as Christina Aguilera, Robbie Williams and Coldplay, as well as classic hits by the Beach Boys, Barry Manilow and other entertainers.
"The acquisition of BMG Music Publishing is a unique opportunity to grow our music publishing business and enhance the value of Universal Music Group at a time when the music market is improving, supported by technological innovations and digital sales," Vivendi's chief executive, Jean Bernard Levy, said in a statement.
Bertelsmann's chief financial officer, Thomas Rabe, said the sale of the unit will help pay back the €4.5bn of debt raised to finance the repurchase of the 25% stake in the company, held by Groupe Bruxelles Lambert.
"This transaction underscores our continued commitment to the strategy of reducing debt," Mr Rabe said. "Bertelsmann remains fully committed to its recorded music business through its partnership with Sony, in Sony BMG Music Entertainment."
Other companies interested in buying BMG Music Publishing included Warner, which broke off merger talks with EMI earlier this year, and Viacom, the media giant owned by Sumner Redstone.
BMG Music Publishing generated €371m of revenue and €81m in profits in the year to December 31, 2005.
Music publishers make money by licensing songs for use in films, TV shows, CDs, ringtones and other media. The companies also collect performance fees when songs are played on the radio or in public venues, such as clubs.
Analysts said the European Court of First Instance's decision in July to annul the 2004 merger between record companies Sony Music and BMG Recorded Music will have little bearing on today's deal, as the publishing business does not directly affect consumers.
· SpiralFrog, a new online music service, today signed an agreement with EMI Music Publishing to authorise SpiralFrog's use of EMI's music catalogue for legal downloading in the US via its advertising-supported service.
The agreement follows SpiralFrog's deal with Universal Music Group announced last week, allowing SpiralFrog to offer free downloads of Universal's songs.
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006
The Film Music of Chico Hamilton
in Re-issues
Posted
WOW! That's an amazing find ... thanks for digging up her picture (and NO PUN INTENDED!) I tried a few years ago to "google" her without success ... so now she is doing the fan circuit. It just goes to show you that Thomas Wolfe was right -- you can't go home again. I can sleep peacefully now!
I was also interested to see that picture on the website of William Windom with a magnificent beard!